1/5/2020 BS 7671 - Wikipedia

BS 7671
British Standard BS 7671 "Requirements for Electrical Installations. IET Wiring Regulations",
informally called in the electrical community The "Regs", is the national standard in the United
Kingdom for electrical installation and the safety of electrical wiring in domestic, commercial,
industrial, and other buildings, also in special installations and locations, such as marinas or
caravan parks.[1]

In general, BS 7671 applies to circuits supplied at nominal voltages up to and including 1000 volts
AC or 1500 volts DC. The standard therefore covers the 230 volt 50 Hz AC mains supply used in
the UK for houses, offices, and commerce. It did not become a recognized British Standard until
the publication of the 16th edition in 1992. The standard takes account of the technical substance
of agreements reached in CENELEC [2]

The current version is BS 7671:2018 (the 18th Edition) issued in 2018 and comes into effect from 1
January 2019. [3][3] BS 7671 is also used as a national standard by Mauritius, St Lucia, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Cyprus, and
several other countries, which base their wiring regulations on BS 7671.

Contents
Compilation and publication
History of BS 7671 and predecessor standards
1st Edition
17th Edition
Timeline
See also
References
External links

Compilation and publication

The standard is maintained by the Joint IET/BSI Technical Committee JPEL/64, the UK National
Committee for Wiring Regulations, and published by the IET (formerly IEE). Although the IET
and BSI are non-governmental organisations and the Wiring Regulations are non-statutory, they
are referenced in several UK statutory instruments, and in most cases, for practical purposes, have
legal force as the appropriate method of electric wiring.[4]

The BSI (British Standards Institute) publishes numerous titles concerning acceptable standards
of design/safety/quality across different fields.

History of BS 7671 and predecessor standards

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The first edition was published in 1882 as the "Rules and Regulations for the Prevention of Fire
Risks arising from Electric Lighting." The title became "General Rules recommended for Wiring
for the Supply of Electrical Energy" with the third edition in 1897, "Wiring Rules" with the fifth
edition of 1907, and settled at "Regulations for the Electrical Equipment of Buildings" with the
eighth edition in 1924.

Since the 15th edition (1981), these regulations have closely followed the corresponding
international standard IEC 60364. In 1992, the IEE Wiring Regulations became British Standard
BS 7671 so that the legal enforcement of their requirements was easier both with regard to the
Electricity at Work regulations and from an international point of view.[5] They are now treated
similar to other British Standards. BS 7671 has converged towards (and is largely based on) the
European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC) harmonisation documents,
and therefore is technically very similar to the current wiring regulations of other European
countries.

1st Edition
"Rules and Regulations for the Prevention of Fire Risks arising from Electric Lighting." - Two core
cable, line and neutral, no earth. The protection was a re-wirable fuse.

17th Edition
The 17th edition, released in January 2008 and amended in 2011 ("Amendment 1"), 2013
("Amendment 2") and January 2015 ("Amendment 3") became effective for all installations
designed after 1 July 2008.[6] One of the more significant changes is (chapter 41) that 30 mA RCDs
will be required for socket outlets that are for use by ordinary persons and are intended for general
use. This improves the level of protection against electrical shock in the UK to a level comparable
to that in other EU countries. The 17th edition and its amendments incorporated new sections
relating to microgeneration and solar photovoltaic systems, non-combustible consumer units,
RCDs, and breakers (including high resilience breaker layout).

As originally published highlights - RCDs required for most outlets

Amendment 1 highlights - high resilience consumer units
Amendment 2 highlights - electric vehicle charging added, earlier change incorporated
for medical locations[7]
Amendment 3 highlights - non-combustible consumer units/enclosures[3]

Timeline

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Edition /
Date Information
change
Titled ‘Rules and Regulations for the prevention of Fire Risks Arising from Electric Lighting’,
1882 1st Edition
and known as the "Wiring Rules"
1888 2nd Edition Titled 'Wiring Rules & Regulations in Buildings
1897 3rd Edition Titled ‘General Rules recommended for Wiring for the Supply of Electrical Energy’
1903 4th Edition issued as IEE Wiring Regulations, called ‘Wiring Rules’
1907 5th Edition Issued as IEE Wiring Regulations
1911 6th Edition Issued as IEE Wiring Regulations
1916 7th Edition Issued as IEE Wiring Regulations
1924 8th Edition Issued as IEE Wiring Regulations ‘Regulations for the Electrical Equipment of Buildings’
1927 9th Edition Issued as IEE Wiring Regulations
1934 10th Edition Issued as IEE Wiring Regulations
Issued as IEE Wiring Regulations. Revised in 1943, reprint with minor amendments in
1939 11th Edition
1945, supplement in 1946, further revised in 1948
1950 12th Edition Issued as IEE Wiring Regulations. Supplement issued 1954
1955 13th Edition Issued as IEE Wiring Regulations. Reprinted in 1958, 1961, 1962, 1964
Issued as IEE Wiring Regulations. Reprinted in 1968, 1969, 1969 again (metric units), 1970
1966 14th Edition
(in metric units), 1972, 1973, 1974, 1976
1981 15th Edition Issued as IEE Wiring Regulations. (Possibly reprinted 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988?)
Issued as IEE Wiring Regulations. Reprinted with amendments 1992, 1994, 1997, 2000,
1991 16th Edition
2001, 2004
BSI adopts
1992 as a Wiring Regulations adopted by the British Standards Institute as BS 7671
standard
1992 Legislation Electricity at Work Regulations come fully into effect in Northern Ireland
Part P of the Building Regulations ("Requirements for Electrical Installations") comes into
Incorporated force, covering legal requirements for UK electrical installations. The guidance in the
2004 into building Approved Documents refers to BS 7671 as being one way to achieve compliance. The
regulations version in force when the law came into effect was the 16th edition, BS 7671:2001, as
amended in 2002 and 2004.
2008 17th Edition Amended 2015 ("Amendment no. 3") - current standard as of October 2016
Introduced energy efficiency performance levels and the use of arc fault detection
devices.[8]
2018 18th Edition
Made available on 2 July 2018.

See also
British Standards
Electrical wiring
Electrical wiring (UK)
IEC 60364
Earthing system

References
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1. BS7671 chapter 11 - scope

2. BS7671: Preface
3. "IET launches Amendment to Wiring Regulations" (http://www.theiet.org/policy/media/press-rel
eases/20150113-2.cfm). www.theiet.org. The IET. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
4. "Regulatory Requirements" (http://www.djtelectricaltraining.co.uk/qanda/2391-prep/WS-Regs%
20legal%20status%203%202008.pdf) (PDF). p. 3.
5. Electrician's guide to the 17th edition of the IEE wiring regulations. 3rd edition pub 2012 John
Whitfield
6. Geoff Cronshaw: The 17th edition: a brief overview (http://electrical.theiet.org/wiring-matters/2
3/17th-overview%20.cfm). IEE Wiring Matters, Summer 2007.
7. "IET launches Amendment 3 to BS 7671:2008" (http://www.voltimum.co.uk/articles/iet-launche
s-amendment-3-bs-76712008). Voltimum UK. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
8. Whitton, Nicole (2016). "BS 7671: the 18th Edition report" (https://electrical.theiet.org/wiring-m
atters/61/18th-edition-report/index.cfm). electrical.theiet.org. IET Electrical. Retrieved
8 February 2018.

External links
Wiring Regulations (http://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/electrical-professionals/wiring-regulat
ions/)
The 17th Edition Exam (http://www.sparkyfacts.co.uk/About_the_17th_Edition_2382_exam.ht
ml)

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